Recently, many paid garages have converted to fully automated facilities. Whereas in the past there were human attendants at every exit lane, full automation allows landlords to eliminate the human component by installing payment devices called Pay On Foot (POF) machines. Customers take a ticket upon entry, pay at a POF machine when leaving, insert the paid ticket into the exit terminal, and proceed to leave when the system recognizes the paid ticket and opens the gate arm. Full automation allows for an elimination of exit lane labor costs, reduced transaction times at exits, and elimination of mistakes or potential fraud.
Despite the benefits of a fully automated facility, certain problems exist when there is no human oversight at exit lanes. One problem that is increasingly common is for non-paying cars to follow a paying car into (or out of) the facility. This is referred to as “tailgating,” and allows the tailgating car(s) to avoid paying. Embodiments of the present disclosure address these and other issues.